Water, Sanitation and Hygiene in Emergencies

Water borne diseases are major killers in disasters and complex emergencies where large populations are displaced and/or moving or where local water infrastructure has been destroyed by an earthquake, cyclone or bombing. They can turn a disaster into a catastrophe.

Disaster management, mitigation and preparedness are all part of disaster risk reduction. A country’s ranking on the World Risk Index is determined not just by its vulnerability to natural hazards but also by its capacity to cope. RedR Australia is committed to increasing this capacity in disaster prone countries in the Indo-Pacific. We are supporting efforts to increase the localisation of humanitarian aid through our commitment to building the capacity of local responders to prevent water-borne diseases.

As part of our commitment, we are pleased to offer a number of fee-waived places on our upcoming internationally recognised humanitarian training course - Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) in Emergencies.

We know that an effective WASH intervention can reduce the spread of disease, alleviate suffering and ultimately save lives. When local emergency response workers understand how to apply basic Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) strategies, more lives can be saved. This course introduces participants to the concepts of public health engineering and environmental health in emergencies, standard equipment used in the field and the basics of WASH cluster coordination as well as the international SPHERE standards that apply.

Course objectives

• The links between water, sanitation and health
• The nature of, and the threats posed by, environmental diseases 
• Effective hygiene promotion in a crisis context
• The complexity of delivering safe water and sanitation in an emergency
• The standard equipment used in the field for emergency WASH response
• Planning and coordinating WASH responses in emergencies

Please apply online